WO 2011/007114 A1 discloses a steering robot having a concentrically arranged steering motor with a circular stator and rotor for the actuation of a vehicular steering wheel. The stator and rotor are attached at the front of the steering wheel, with the stator additionally attached to the motor vehicle. An additional steering wheel is mounted on the engine, which allows for the manual actuation of the steering wheel by means of the steering motor.
The design of the known steering robot enables a person to fit behind the steering wheel even when it is installed to ensure manual actuation in case of a blocked motor. In addition, a steering wheel airbag can deploy through the spaces defined by the stator, rotor, and additional steering wheel. However, the steering robot known from prior art has the disadvantage that it requires a relatively large additional construction space extending out from the steering wheel. This not only decreases the space available to the person occupying the seat, but can also significantly affect the functionality of the airbag. Furthermore, the special design of the motor results in relatively high production costs for the steering robot as a whole.
The problem to be solved by the invention is to avoid the above-listed disadvantages for a generic steering wheel actuation device and to allow for the simple attachment at a steering wheel with little space required.